Interview with Genealogists.com Co-Founder

Recently we caught up with one of the founders and owners of
Genealogists.com and asked him several questions. Here are the highlights.

Several years ago, Jim Heddell recognized the need to create
a family history research firm that would be large enough to access records
wherever they are located and that would have the skills and expertise needed
to address the specific needs of any client doing family history research.

Phenomenal growth since 2012 has positioned Genealogists.com as the world’s largest family history research firm. Over 1,200 professional genealogists enable Genealogists.com to access records wherever they are located, including the over 90% of records that FamilySearch estimates are not yet online. In addition to the largest network of genealogists, Genealogists.com also has hundreds of professional historians, private investigators, forensic scientists, DNA experts, university professors/scholars, and archivists working worldwide to provide whatever specific expertise may be required to solve even the toughest research challenges. To
submit a request for research or lookups to the world’s favorite genealogy research firm, go to www.genealogists.com. (They are also currently hiring for several open positions.)

FUTURE Q: The discovery of DNA and the development of the Internet have significantly altered family history research over the past few decades. What do you predict
will revolutionize will be the next big influence on research?

A: I believet the time will soon come when the majority
of family history research is achieved through truly collaborative approaches. Today most family history research firms are
limited in terms of where they can go in order to access records. They are also limited to the skills of the
genealogists within their specific firm.
Over the last few years, a couple research firms have emerged following the example of Genealogists.com that offer the ability to access records wherever they are located and that can apply whatever
expertise is needed to solve the needs of clients worldwide.

KNOWLEDGEQ: As genealogists, we are bombarded with
newsletters, journals, blogs, books, and magazines pertaining to our field in
every way from history to professionalism. What one article that you’ve read in
the past year or two (even if it was in an older publication) jumps into your
mind first? What do you remember about that specific piece and why do you think
it stays with you? Please share name and date of publication, title of article,
author.

A: It’s been said that searching the internet is like drinking
water from a fire hose. Because so much
information is available for the world of family history, I have a team of
researchers who scan over 100 sites weekly and provide the highlights on ourFacebook page. The articles and posts on this site reach thousands
of people. It’s fascinating to try to
predict which articles will go viral. The
articles that I have read in the past year that jump into my mind first are the
ones that have a readership of tens of thousands. One such article that has been read by almost
50,000 people is the “Anatomy of a Social Security Number.“

DIGGINGQ: You are asked to research your hometown or your favorite city (you
choose the location–anywhere in the world), but you may focus on one decade
only. Which town or city and decade would you choose and why? What would you
hope to find?

A: As tempting as it is to be able to pick a favorite city and
focus on a particular decade, I find that family history research more often
than not
requires genealogists in multiple locations. I do not feel it is sufficient to merely
focus on one particular area for research because our ancestors were
mobile. We need to be able to access the
records wherever our ancestors lived.

TRACKINGQ: What software or online program do you use for your own family tree?
What do you use when working for clients? Or are you a pen-and-paper person?
What method or program do you find most user friendly and which do you
recommend to your fellow genealogists?

A: We like to use whatever software or online tree program the
client uses so that he/she receive it in whichever format they are most
comfortable with. As a result, our
researchers are well versed in most methods and programs. Personally, I do not have a favorite program,
but I commonly use FamilyTree, My Heritage, and Ancestry.com.

REMEMBRANCEQ: Genealogists often love visiting cemeteries and may use them in their
research. With the growing trend for cremation, how do you — as one who
practices genealogy — feel about cremation vs burial? What can be gained, lost,
and learned?

A: In some countries or cultures (for example, Japan), people
do not have a choice of whether to bury or cremate. However, if someone has that choice, I
personally would prefer they bury the body as that leaves a physical record
that is easier to track than an urn of ashes.
There are numerous websites for graves (for example, FindAGrave, BillionGraves), but very few for urns.

Note: Genealogists.com provides more paid research projects for members of APG than any other research firm.

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Trace.com is the world’s largest family history research firm with over 4,000 professional genealogists as well as hundreds of subject matter experts (scholars, private investigators, professors, clergy, and archivists). We are not limited to the small percentage of records that are online. We are not limited to just one or two genealogists. We are not limited to a few local repositories. Instead, we access the world’s records wherever they are located and in whatever form–whether online or offline, including the over 90% of records that FamilySearch estimates are not online.